ROCKFORD — As of Monday, the number of concealed-carry firearm instructors in Winnebago County listed on the Illinois State Police's website was 32 and growing.

They are among nearly 1,000 ISP approved instructors statewide whom residents are turning to in droves as they seek the necessary training to obtain their concealed-carry licenses, which Illinois residents can apply for starting Jan. 5.

ISP spokeswoman Monique Bond said an estimated 400,000 applicants are expected to apply for a concealed-carry license next year.

"We are meeting demands," she said of available ISP certified instructors. "For now there has been no issues."

"We went to a gun show last month in Pecatonica and started signing people up," he said.

Konopa said a majority of his clients are middle-aged, and about 70 percent are men.

Applicants must complete 16 hours of training — the most required by any state in the country — with instruction broken into two eight-hour segments.

The first eight hours covers safety, gun handling, maintenance and basic marksmanship principles. The second segment covers state and federal concealed-carry laws, as well as where weapons can and can't be taken, how to interact with law enforcement and when it is acceptable to use lethal force.

The second half of the course also includes a "live-fire exercise," a 30-round shooting qualification. Applicants shoot at an approximately 2-foot-by-3-foot target from a distance of 5, 7 and 10 yards. The applicants are required to hit the target 70 percent of the time.

John Royster, 57, a retired Rockford Park District police officer and a training instructor for Metro Enforcement, a locally based private security firm, boasts several years of firearm instructional training.

He said shortly after his name was added to the ISP firearm instructor registry, his phone started ringing non-stop.

He is advising the public to seek out instructors with experience to get the best training possible.

"Check their qualifications," he said. "Some people met their minimum requirements (to become a firearm instructor) a week ago."

Just how many people will apply for a concealed-carry license is not known, but there are 1.6 million Illinois residents with Firearms Owner's Identification cards, which the state requires people to have before it will issue a concealed-carry license.

Konopa is charging $125 for the first eight-hour segment and $140 for the second. If the applicant takes the first half, they will receive a $25 discount for the second segment.

If the applicant successfully passes both courses, the instructor will issue the applicant a certificate. The applicant can then go online to the ISP website to find, print and complete a concealed-carry application, which along with the certificate and $150 fee can be mailed to the state for a concealed-carry license. The licenses are good for five years.